The Uruguayan ace netted a first-half brace to keep Thursday night's encounter at arm's length from the Jets, which replied through Andrew Nabbout but couldn't find a late equaliser.

John van 't Schip's side jumped to second in the table off the back of the 29-year-old's double, which lifts his tally to six goals in six games this season.

At this rate, he could reel in his record tally of 25 goals in 29 games last season.

Fornaroli's goals were fashioned on the left and the right flanks, and finished by head and foot.

Tricky winger Fernando Brandan charged inside with pace but slowed the speed of the ball, deftly chipping into Fornaroli's path.

The Uruguayan headed to the near post, where Jets goalkeeper Jack Duncan could only palm the ball into the net.

Shortly after, he unleashed a textbook right-foot volley from Bruce Kamau's cross, and it looked a matter of how many both for player and club.

But Newcastle began to create chances of their own and soon put one in.

Ex-Victory winger Nabbout, playing on his old home ground, skipped past Osama Malik and unleashed a strike that flew in with a healthy deflection from Michael Jakobsen.

The stage was set for a show-stopping second half, but instead the action dried up.

Audacious overkick efforts from the otherwise quiet Tim Cahill and Morten Nordstrand - who had missed a sitter from two metres out after just four minutes - were the brightest moments of the second half.

Newcastle made all three substitutes in an effort to unlock City's defence, but it served only to send them a player down when captain Nigel Boogaard went down with a nasty leg injury.

To worsen the disadvantage, City played with 12 men momentarily after referee Adam Fielding allowed Paulo Retre and Nick Fitzgerald to run on with only Brandan departing.

Eventually a laughing Cahill took his leave with five minutes remaining, as City saw out the match.